Coastal cities in the U.S. like New York and Boston are at risk of being 'inundated' by floods of untreated sewage, new research suggests.The findings add to growing concerns the cities could be facing a public health crisis and emphasize an urgent need for effective interventions for water system management.From the mid-1850s, many of America's coastal communities were designed with a combined sewer system in which stormwater and sewage are collected in the same pipes.
In a recent study, published in the Journal of Water Management Modeling, researchers from Drexel University in Philadelphia used detailed water models of flooding and sewer overflows in a flood-prone community in Camden, New Jersey, to predict how changing future climates might impact these water systems.